Rachel and I have battled with whether or not to attend a church for as long as we have been a couple. Rachel has many good memories of growing up in a church with positive social, spiritual and educational aspects but it was also flawed. I on the other hand don't have as many fond memories so I have been skeptical about trying again since day one. One major obstacle for us is the fact that we are crazy treehugging socialists so finding a church that matches our view on social issues can be difficult but nevertheless remains an area of curiosity.
Rachel and took a quiz today to determine which belief system best suites each of us. I was listed as 100% Secular Humanist which was not a tremendous surprise because most questions on the multiple choice quiz offer an "I don't know" option. Nevertheless, I question where secular humanists come together for social gatherings and enlightenment. I have always thought a church or some institution should exist with the sole purpose of supporting a quest for higher learning while discussing many modern issues even spirituality. I decided that I should start my own called the Gathering of Secular Humanists or GoSH. The irony of this acronym is not lost on me. Gosh is a word used to replace God, so too would GoSH the institution.
I am having fun here and by no means wish to offend anyone nor do I have any real intention to start a Gathering of Secular Humanists. Besides, such institutions already exists. They are referred to as state universities.
I am curious to see what the quiz identifies as your belief system. If you care to share, list your top 3 in the comment section. My top 3 are:
1. Secular Humanist (100%)
2. Unitarian Universalist (97%)
3. Tie between Liberal Quaker and Theravada Buddhism (92%)
10 comments:
Mine are:
Liberal Quakers (100%)
Unitarian Universalism (92%)
Tie between Bahá'í Faith and Neo-Pagan (90%)
Wow did steve break out the funny today. My results:
1. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (100%)
2. Orthodox Quaker (99%)
3. Liberal Quakers (81%)
1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Secular Humanism (97%)
3. Liberal Quakers (84%)
1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Secular Humanism (97%)
3. Liberal Quakers (85%)
1. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (100%)
2. Jehovah's Witness (89%)
3. Bahá'í Faith (74%)
What a surprise!
As to the GoSH movement, I guess that's why universities are referred to as the Temples of Higher Learning. As to the gathering place for social interaction and discussion, isn't that another name for Starbucks?
Unitarian Universalism (100%)
New Age (97%)
Neo-Pagan (95%)
After all this time I finally get a good explanation for why the United Methodists and I agreed to disagree. Gosh! :-)
1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Liberal Quakers (90%)
3. Secular Humanism (90%)
1. Secular humanism (100%)
2. Unitarian Universalism (93%)
3. Liberal Quaker (87%)
Here is my dissatisfaction with most organized religion showing through: isn't it ironic that we need a quiz to tell us what spirituality/religion we ought to think about practicing? This seems to underlie the deep human desire for acceptance and understanding of the individual as a part of a greater whole. Yet somehow, this desire is satiated by taking away our individuality as we are told how we ought to behave and what we ought to believe in, just to belong to a larger group.
Anyways, hi Steve and Rachel! Congrats Steve on your new job; I love hearing how you guys are doing through your phone calls with Bryan. Best wishes for continued happiness in FOCO!
I could not agree more! Organized religion may well prove to be the ultimate oxymoron. Mary and I have just been discussing the practical challenges of holism to which I find your remarks most helpful and enlightening. It's always good to hear from you, whatever the venue. Give our love to Bryan.
Okay I'm a little slow but here's my results (creepily similar to Steve and Colleen):
1. Secular Humanism (100%)
2. Unitarian Univerdalism (96%)
3. Tie between Liberal Quaker and Theravada Buddhist (78%)
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